He Vanished 20 Years Ago, And Was Presumed Dead...His Mother Just Learned The Truth

The missing man’s family was overjoyed to learn that — in a strange twist of fate — he had been found alive; but then something truly stunning happened that turned their joy into heartbreak once again.

A Spanish doctor who disappeared without a trace in 1995 when he was only 26-years-old was recently discovered living by himself in a remote part of Italy. Two mushroom pickers reportedly happened upon the recluse by chance in a nature reserve on the Italian coast. The man was living in a tent and showed the gatherers his passport and told them, “I am Spanish, my name is Carlos and I have been here since 1997.”

The men who discovered Carlos Sanchez Ortiz de Salazar in the Tuscan wilderness described him as having “a dirty face and large beard.” The hermit is no longer a young man — he’s 45-years-old and is believed to have long been suffering from severe depression. Ironically, this disturbed doctor was said to have been trained in psychiatry.

Five years ago, the missing man’s family and the Spanish government gave up all hope that he was still living and declared him dead. Now, the doctor’s parents and sister are overjoyed to learn their son and brother is indeed still walking the earth. The family recently traveled to Italy in hopes of seeing their beloved again.

Carlos’ mother said, “When they told us that it was him, it was as if our son had been born again. He’s alive and that is the important thing. We will respect his wishes and his freedom, but we won’t go home until we have at least given him a hug, even for a few moments.”

Salazar’s sister, Olga, tweeted, “Thank you for having given us this new hope, which alleviates the tremendous drama that we have had to endure.”

In an interview with the Corriere della Sera newspaper, the hermit’s mother stated, “It would be enough to see him for just half an hour. Then if it is his wish, we would not try to see him again.”

Soon after the foragers discovered Salazar, authorities returned to the location where he and his camp were found to look for him. Marcello Stella, the mayor of the nearby village of Scarlino, said, “We checked the place where he had his shelter but there was no trace of it any longer. Who knows where he might be now.”

Above image is a similar representation of his shelter

The Salazar family returned to their home in Spain without giving their missing loved one a hug as they had intended, but at least they now have peace knowing he is still believed to be alive…somewhere.

Moral of this story is, when you go Off-The-Grid, please tell your mom!